Maximising the impact of Public Development Banks in financing the transition – challenges & opportunities

The 5th Finance in Common Summit (FiCS) in Cape Town was the opportunity once more to to discuss how public development banks can align all their activities with the Sustainable Development Goals, the Paris Agreement, and the Global Biodiversity Framework. Though the central role of public development banks in driving the sustainability agenda is acknowledged by most governments and public development banks, challenges subsist in translating this potential into transformational action. Two well-identified barriers are a lack of clear investment opportunities in some markets and sectors (especially nature and biodiversity) and the absence of sufficiently developed impact indicators. 

In this breakout session, we explored how the impact of public development banks on low-emission and resilient development is currently being assessed. Looking ahead, we will identify some opportunities for public development banks to maximise this impact and increasingly contribute to a deep transformation of the real economy.  

Moderator: Valerie Laxton, Senior Associate, World Resources Institute 

Panellists: 

• Isabelle Bébéar, Head of International and European Affairs, Bpifrance 
• Barbara Marchitto, Head of Country and Financial Sector, EIB 
• Jonas David, Research officer, AFII  
• Nicole Pinko, Senior Program Associate, CPI  
• Shaji Krishnan V, Chairman, NABARD  
• Arora Akansha, Director of Strategic Affairs (Multilateral Development Banks), International Sustainability Standards Board, IFRS Foundation  
• Romy Calderon, Chief Economist, ALIDE
• Jenifer Zungu, Project Lead, SANBI 

More informations about the FiCS